Traveling 50 States with Kids

We visited the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, Michigan. The zoo was larger than I expected, very open with a good number of indoor, air conditioned habitats too.  We also only paid 50% of admission prices since the zoo participates in AZA (check out my California post for more details). The kids especially liked the Tiny Giants 4D show at the Ford Education Center ($6 per person, approximately 15 minute showing).  Also at the Ford Education Center was the Sayaka Ganz Reclaimed Creations exhibit. It was really neat. Can you spot the rice spatula? 

We stopped for lunch at Apple Barrel in Percival, Iowa. We had a fried chicken steak, cinnamon roll, hashbrown, eggs, mini corn dogs, grilled cheese, and sides. We couldn't believe the size of the fried chicken steak and cinnamon roll. It definitely seemed like the portion should have been for two people. It was interesting to learn about the Great Missouri River Floods of 2019 and crazy to see pictures of how flooded the restaurant we were in and nearby areas were. Afterwards, we went to Waubonsie State Park in Hamburg, IA and enjoyed the trail and overlook. The air was just so clean, crisp, and refreshing. 😄 As we drove back to the airport, it was just corn, corn, and more corn. Iowa produces the most corn of any state in the U.S.

We drove from Leavenworth, Kansas to Nebraska City, Nebraska to see the Lewis and Clark Center . It was about a 2 hour drive. We learned about their 2 year long expedition from 1804 to 1806, how descriptive their journals were, and all the new creatures they discovered. We also touched a lot of different types of animal furs. There are 4 hiking trails at the center. We explored a relatively steep one but it was mostly shaded. We hurried back after seeing some poison ivy and several mosquitoes, but it was nice getting some morning exercise in!

We drove to Leavenworth, Kansas from Kansas City, MO to stay at Leavenworth Local Hotel (a renovated Catholic high school). The City of Leavenworth was also the very first city of Kansas founded in 1854. The kids loved it! Our king bed + queen bed + sofa bed in a connecting room + kitchenette in a renovated classroom complete with caulk boards was modern, comfortable, and spacious! We also enjoyed the large gym and fitness center where our kids could run around and make some noise without worry that we’re bothering guests.  Even in the heart of downtown, it was super quiet on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, but what we would expect from a quaint  small town. 😊

Did you know there are two Kansas Cities - a Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas, and the larger city is actually in Missouri? I had no idea until looking up the Kansas City airport (MCI) and discovering it’s actually in Missouri. Well, this is where we flew into.  We went to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum . I believe this is the first presidential library we’ve been to as a family and now we want to make it a point to visit other presidential libraries. It was done so well - so interactive and informative. We learned about how President Harry S. Truman suddenly took office after President FDR died of a cerebral hemorrhage during his 4th term. It was interesting to learn that President FDR and VP Truman actually only saw each other a couple of times while in office, and FDR kept Truman in the dark on the development of the atomic bomb and other wartime issues. Suddenly, these problems became Truman’s to solve. President Truman was also an unlikel...

After flying into Providence, RI, we drove to Stonington, CT to see the Captain Nathaniel B Palmer House Museum and the Stonington Lighthouse Museum . Captain Nathaniel B Palmer and his crew were the first Americans to discover Antarctica. He built this 14-room Victorian mansion in 1852 with his brother, captain Alexander Smith Palmer. We got to step into history and learned about their lives from our wonderful tour guide.  Our daughter especially loved the little girl’s room (the bed, dollhouse, and furniture), and I especially enjoyed the magnificent cupola with a lovely view of the town and harbor. Soaking up the sun, breeze, and beauty, I could let my imagination go wild and envision myself sitting here for hours.  For $10 adult dual admission tickets ($5 for kids), we also visited the Stonington Lighthouse Museum. A small museum with some interesting pieces, but the view! New York to our right, Rhode Island to our left, and Connecticut behind us.  Afterwards, we bri...